


The ABC's of Dating Damian Wayne

by ababybat



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Teen Titans - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Character Death, Drama, Fluff, M/M, Public Sex, Resurrection, Romance, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-13
Updated: 2015-12-13
Packaged: 2018-05-06 12:39:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5417390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ababybat/pseuds/ababybat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Damian Wayne should come with an instruction manual.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The ABC's of Dating Damian Wayne

**Always**

 

"Dude." Kon pulls back from his position of being draped over Tim's chair, turns his head to get a better look at the nineteen-year-old who just casually waltzed into the cave. A nineteen-year-old Kon hasn't seen in a while. One that has, if Kon is going to be quite honest, grown up quite well.

 

"Duuuude." He whines, flapping his hand at Tim, hoping to get his friend's attention.

 

"What?" Tim snaps as he pushes Kon's hand away from him.

 

A sheepish grin spreads across the man's face. "Has your brother always been so hot?"

  

**Beautiful**

 

"You're really beautiful, you know?" Kon says, examines the young man sitting across from him, marvels at his exquisite features, wonders at his luck that he only has eyes for Kon.

 

Damian flushes, an adorable stain of rose red spreading across his cheeks, glances up from where he's been perusing the menu, and rolls his eyes when he sees Kon grinning at him.

 

"And you are a fool." Damian replies smoothly, as if he isn't charmed. As if his heart isn't bumping fast and happy up against his ribcage. As if it doesn't feel like his bones will melt under Kon's heated gaze.

 

Kon knows, though. He always knows.

 

**Confidence**

 

No one should be so goddamn attractive, Damian thinks darkly. No one should look so good in neon green swimming trunks. No one should have such smooth skin, not a mark or scar anywhere in sight to ruin him. No one should be so annoyingly close to perfection.

 

No one should be able to make Damian feel so weak at the knees with no more than a quick, relaxed glance thrown over his shoulder.

 

Across the pool stands the clone. He's laughing with Drake and Wonder Girl while still managing to look gorgeous (Damian frowns, bitter, at his line of thinking) as he chows down on a hotdog.

 

Damian wishes so badly he could go back to not thinking about the clone in any kind of meaningful way. He wants to once again only think of him as Drake's stupid friend.

 

But somewhere along the way the clone thought it would be  _hilariously_ funny to flirt with Damian, to shower him with the attention Damian craves, and damn if Damian doesn't hate himself a little - okay, a lot - for that one weakness. Now, despite knowing  _better_ , Damian has not been able to remain at all unaffected by the clone's prank.

 

Across the pool, Sandsmark squeals happily when the clone scoops her up into his arms, and Damian turns away, pretends he doesn't give a damn about what the idiot is doing or with whom. The sting in his heart tells Damian he's lying.

 

Damian really hates pool parties.

  

**Devil**

 

"And what would you give me,  _dearest_ grandson," Ra's asks, amused and cruel, "to save the one you love?"

 

Damian looks up from where he's kneeling - he's prostrated himself before the man who thinks himself a god in the hopes that it will satisfy his vanity. Doing this will no doubt make negotiations easier, more favorable.

 

His once bright green eyes, dulled from too much pain and sorrow, slip shut, slowly, as he envisions the people he will hurt most with this betrayal. He can see the shattered look in his father's eyes. He can hear the way Grayson will scream and deny. He can feel Todd and Drake's fury.

 

It doesn't matter, Damian tells himself. His family's imagined reactions do not compare to the memory of holding his beloved in his arms as his life slowly ebbed away. The memory has been scratched, seared, drilled into his mind. The memory will drive him mad, already has, and now all Damian has left is to do something good with that madness.

 

He's still breathing but Damian feels like he's been dead for months now. His life ended in a flash of sickening green and sticky blood, and there's nothing Ra's will do to him will come close to the pain he's been forced to live with, accept, since his love breathed his final breath.

 

"Anything." Damian promises without hesitation. He means it, too.

 

"Very well," Ra's nods and Damian would cry he's so relieved, but he's already shed every tear in his body, "I will help you achieve your goals of resurrection, and then you will come to me." Ra's leans forward, stares down at his grandson, eyes holding a dark promise. "Betray me and your beloved, your whole family, will feel my wrath for eons to come. I will kill them, restore them to life, only to kill them all again, and you will be made to watch  _each and every time_. Am I clear?"

 

Damian's nods slowly.

 

Straightening, Ra's chuckles low in his throat. "I do admit to some curiosity over how a half-kryptonian will react to a Lazarus Pit."

 

Damian closes his eyes again and hopes his grief hasn't doomed them all.

  **  
**

**Edge**

 

A moan, loud and obscene and goddamn  _filthy_ , sounds through the room as he is pushed closer and closer to orgasm by a ridiculously skilled tongue. Damian slaps a hand over his mouth, embarrassed, wonders why he always has to be so  _loud_ during sex.

 

From his spot between Damian's spread legs, Kon chuckles. He pulls away from where he's been lapping greedily at Damian's hole. His chin is wet, smeared with saliva and lube, and his pupils are blown, the blue almost gone completely, making him look almost demonic.

 

Damian shivers, so turned on it actually hurts.

 

"No muffling your screams, pretty bird."

 

His hand drops down to his the bed, but Damian is frowning, still embarrassed. "It's humiliating." He says, whines almost.

 

"It's beautiful." Kon argues. "Makes me feel like I could cum without being touched."

 

Damian gasps sharply at the admission. His head falls back, surrenders himself over to the inevitable, readies himself to put on one hell of a show since him screaming his voice away while Kon eats him out pleases the man so damn much.

 

Kon grins wickedly and goes back to fucking Damian with his tongue, pleasuring him with broad, wet strokes over his boyfriend's eager little hole, and reveling in the sounds Damian makes for him, the way he gasps Kon's name, the way he begs to be fucked harder, deeper, with a simple hitch in his voice alone.

  

**Farm**

 

"I like it here." Damian announces on the second day of his week-long stay at the Kent farm.

 

"Good to know." Kon says, smiling, and continues to stack bales of hay on top of one another. "Now come help me here."

 

It's nice when Damian doesn't argue. It's nice when he simply comes up beside Kon and works quietly, intently, so they can be done by the time dinner rolls by.

  

**Gravity**

 

There's a surprisingly loud snap and suddenly Damian is falling.

 

The shock of having his line snap has Damian gasping. His heart kicks violently in his chest as panic flirts with the edges of his consciousness. It would be so easy to let his mind go blank, to simply fall into the hard embrace of concrete and pain, but his training kicks and his instincts take over.

 

He twists mid fall, back facing the ground that is speeding towards him, aims his grappler and prepares to take the shot that will save him.

 

Damian never even pulls the trigger.

 

"Gotcha, pretty bird."

 

The clone is grinning at him, ridiculously blue eyes shining with mirth. Shocked at the man's sudden appearance, at being held bridal style of all things, floating in the air, has Damian gaping stupidly at Kon for a good few seconds.

 

Then Damian's mind kicks back into gear.

 

"Let go of me, you fool!" His indignant cry makes Kon wince, the sound of it loud and piercing in his ear.

 

Kon never does.

  

**Happy**

 

Happiness is the curve of Kon's back, the slope of his spine, when he lies, face buried in his pillows, enjoying a lazy Sunday morning with Damian trapped, willingly, underneath one of his arms.

 

Happiness is the look in his blue eyes, the quirk of his full lips, the messy twist in his dark curls after they've fucked. Happiness is when Kon is spent and giddy, with Damian curling into his arms.

 

Happiness is the all the good with all the bad, and the many moments of grey in between.

 

Happiness is Conner Kent.

  

**Intervention**

 

"I know what you're doing." Tim says. He keeps his voice gentle, makes sure he doesn't sound like he's accusing anyone of anything. "I've been there."

 

And he really has been here before. Tim has lost Kon once already, he thinks. His heart aches in an awful, familiar way, and Tim feels once again like a piece of his soul has gone missing. He knows Damian is feeling it too, but harder, stronger, and he's drowning in the suffocating intensity of his agonizing sorrow.

 

They were in love. Kon was going to propose. Bought the ring and everything. Asked Tim, the person he trusted most, to keep it safe until he was ready to make his move. Now Kon would never be ready.

 

Tim contemplated giving the ring to Damian, and realized it would do more harm than good.

 

Damian doesn't say anything, keeps reading through his files like Tim isn't even there. He hasn't spoken a word since Kon's murder at the hands of a cruel and giddy Joker.

 

"I know you're going to do everything you can to bring Kon back, but please," Tim begs, voice cracking, feels like he's losing - lost - a little brother too, " _please_ don't do anything stupid. Kon wouldn't want that."

 

As always, there's only silence.

  

**Jealousy**

 

There once was a time Kon believed that Damian didn't know how to smile.

 

Whenever he saw the new boy wonder, which was admittedly a rare occurrence, Damian always looked so very sullen, a scowl ready and eager to form on his small face. When Damian grew into a teenager, becoming both older and wiser, the sullenness disappeared, but Damian's expressions instead became neutral, blank, and not happy and carefree.

 

Despite Tim claiming otherwise (and wasn't  _that_ a surprise) For a long time Kon believed that Damian didn't even know how to be happy.

 

How wrong he was.

 

Damian looks happy now. He's talking to someone, a young man with red hair and adorable freckles sprinkled over pretty cheeks. Damian will smile whenever his  _friend_ says something. He'll even join in on the other man's happy laughing, green eyes bright and beautiful.

 

Internally Kon feels something dark, awful, and violent  _twist_ horribly in his gut. He envisions himself stalking across the cave and pulling Damian away, growling and hissing like some kind of vicious animal. He'll make sure, then, that Damian can only smile at him, can only laugh at  _Kon's_ words.

 

But Kon never gives in to his irrational desires. He looks away, bites the inside of his cheek when a new chorus of delighted giggles glide across the room.

 

Kon pretends, so hard, as he focuses on Tim's speedy typing, that his hands aren't clenching into fists because he wants nothing more than to punch a certain redhead into oblivion.

  

**Kryptonite**

 

Damian isn't one to panic very easily. Even during the times Damian thinks that this time he'll definitely lose his mind to terror, his training, years and years and goddamn  _years_ of it, always takes over, calms his mind and makes him listen to his survival instincts. It's saved his life more than once.

 

He is panicking now. Damian is choking on his terrified screams and tears, sounds so very wounded, as he holds Kon in his arms.

 

His beloved is bleeding out so very quickly. A wicked looking kryptonite shard is sticking out of his chest, stealing Kon's life away from him, blood gushing up, pooling around its thick edge, wetting his shirt, staining Damian's suit, making the cherry red darker, wiping away the yellow and green. His whole suit is all red now.

 

(oh god, it's lodged in his heart)

 

"Robin!" There's someone is screaming in his ear. The syllables of his name crack over static.

 

Damian ignores them. He pulls Kon closer to him, exhales through a shuddering sob. Kon's shallow, pained and wet breathing is the final symphony for his ears. A sick kind of swansong for the hero Superboy and his lover.

 

"Cry only happy tears, pretty bird." Kon whispers, manages to grin, full lips stained crimson red. He coughs through his words, on his blood, and Damian shudders violently.

 

"Damian, keep him alive! We're on our way!" The voice screams into his ear again. It's Drake, Damian finally realizes.

 

Pulling the communicator from his ear, Damian drops it to the ground. Relieved and numb - now all Damian can hear and feel is Kon.

 

It all seems to happen in slow motion. One second Kon inhales, pauses like time is coming to a complete standstill, and then, gaze locked with Damian's, Kon breathes his very final breath. Glassy eyes and a smile on his bloody face, Damian screams, loud, utterly devastated, in a dirty little alley. He screams himself hoarse; his throat bloody.

 

It's just another day in Gotham.

  

**Lazarus**

 

The body held safely in his arms is getting heavier by the second.

 

Every muscle burns, aches so badly, but Damian won't rest. He pushes through the pain, determined to see his goal be accomplished. Damian has been through too much to let something like fatigue and throbbing limbs stop him now.

 

His mind is focused, his prize near, and Damian ignores everything and everyone around him as he steps carefully into the Lazarus Pit.

 

It's surprisingly cool, more so than Damian expected. The water's emerald glow reflects up against him, turning the edges of his vision a sickening green. It all reminds him a little too much of that horrific evening, and he  _still_ has to steel himself against the memories so he won't crumble in on himself.  

 

Glancing up and over his shoulder reveals that his grandfather's men have formed a protective circle around the pool. Damian narrows his eyes at the kryptonite necklaces hanging from their necks. He hates those necklaces, even now, and initially fought against using them, but even Damian had to eventually admit to understanding the need for precaution. There is no way of really knowing what the Pit will do to Kon; how much he will change.

 

Hesitation has cost him too much already, Damian decides, looking away from those dreadful necklaces. He heads deeper in, movements slow, cautious and unsure of what the Pit could do to  _him_ , until the water comes up around his waist. Feeling like they're finally far enough, Damian carefully lowers Kon into the water. He keeps his beloved from sinking down completely so he can take a few moments to stare.

 

Naked, with every part of him on display, including the scar that never healed, Kon looks like some kind of tragic god about to be restored to his former greatness. Damian marvels at him, how wretchedly beautiful Kon is, even in death, and thinks his analogy about Kon's supposed godhood has never been so appropriate.  

 

It's now or never, Damian knows. He finds he is afraid, the anxious lump in his throat tightening, wonders what he'll do if this doesn't work.

 

Then, without another thought, Damian lets his beloved go.

 

Damian watches Kon sink. He somehow remains calm as Kon is pulled down into sickeningly green depths by his own dead weight.

 

A small, painful gasp hits the back of Damian's teeth when Kon's arm floats up. His hand is extended, like he's reaching for Damian.

 

It's hard to remain still and ignore that lifeless hand. It's excruciating not to reach in and grab it so he can twine his fingers around Kon's own and hold on until his own life leaves him.

 

Damian stands there as seconds go by. It's going slowly, so damn slowly, but Damian waits, nervous and frightened. He holds his breath when Kon hits the bottom of the pool. Kon's once outstretched arm sinks too, his hand no longer reaching for Damian.

 

"Come on, Beloved." Damian pleads when all those seconds have morphed into a full minute. "Please come back to me."

 

Kon's eyes snap open then, as if all he needed was Damian's plea.

 

The water swishes around them, something like a mini whirlpool forming protectively around them. Kon thrashes in obvious pain. The moment he tries to breathe oxygen denied to his lungs for months now means getting only a mouth and lungs full of water.

 

He's panicking. Bubbles escape his lips when Kon screams, and he continues flailing, mind too shocked to know how to get up and out. Without hesitation Damian sinks into the water, sees Kon through shades of green, sees the wildness in his eyes, and grabs his beloved so he can pull them both up.

 

Damian is ready for the flailing and mad terror. Despite Damian's protests, Ra's ensured there would be a necklace hanging from around his own neck. His close proximity to Kon means it kicks in immediately, weakening his beloved instantly and bringing a quick stop to his thrashing.

 

Damian pulls Kon to him, holds him close, chests pressed together, one hand reaching up to cradle the back of Kon's head. He makes soothing sounds as Kon whimpers. With Kon's face buried in his neck, Damian can feel every panicky breath against his skin.

 

It's a relief. Too many months have gone by where Kon's chest lay completely still.

 

"D-Damian?" Kon asks when he's calmed down enough. The confusion is still there, but Kon is finally aware enough to know the man holding him protectively is Damian.

 

The laugh bubbles up and out Damian's throat. Tears well up, and he nods, feels heavy and exhausted, but so very relieved.

 

Knowing he needs to get them out of the pool before he collapses, Damian turns so he's by Kon's side, his beloved's arm slung around his shoulders, and begins walking them over to the edge of the Pit.

 

Some of his grandfather's men come forward, hands outstretched, ready to help, but Damian ignores them all. He will not let anyone else touch Kon while he is there.

 

Ignoring help means Damian can barely get Kon out of the pool, though, and when they are just free of it, Damian lowers them both to the ground. The edge will have to be good enough.

 

"What happened?" Kon asks. His voice is so hoarse.

 

"A nightmare happened." Damian replies as he folds his hand over Kon's cheek. His skin is already warming up underneath Damian's own. "But it's over now."

 

A shadow falls over them, pulling Damian away from this sweet reunion, reminding him of the promises that made all of this possible.

 

"Lord Damian."

 

Damian can't bring to look at his beloved as Kon finally realizes they have company and that it's no one he recognizes.

 

"Allow me this minute." Damian whispers. He hopes the man will be sympathetic to the fact that this is the last time Damian will be able to hold Kon, or see him. Surely he can be granted a few more minutes for a proper goodbye?

 

The man is neither compassionate nor kind and offers no sympathy. "Lord Ra's demands your immediate return."

 

"Ra's?" Kon asks, alarmed. That name has never meant anything good for anyone. "Damian, what's going on?"

 

Damian nods briskly and then pulls the necklace off, the chain snapping, but not before burning Damian's skin and leaving a mark.

 

"Don't worry, Beloved." Damian replies as he drops the necklace, the kryptonite, onto Kon's naked chest.

 

Kon groans immediately, weak and wounded.

 

Damian shudders at the sound. "I'm sorry," he whispers, "but I can't have you escaping this place alone."

 

Kon doesn't say a word. He stares up at Damian, gaze sorrowful and afraid. The look in Kon's eyes makes Damian's stomach churn with nauseous guilt.

 

"There's a tracker in the clothes I have left for you." Damian rises up to his knees. "Drake will find you. He'll be here soon."

 

Drake will make sure Kon gets through the inevitable side effects of the Lazarus Pit.

 

"No, wait!" Kon groans, fights against the kryptonite, tries to reach for Damian, but it's no use. He can't move.

 

"I love you." Damian whispers and it sounds so much like a goodbye that Kon feels his eyes sting. Kon whimpers, whines, when Damian leans over him, when he brushes an agonizingly sweet kiss against Kon's lips.

 

"Damian." Kon gasps desperately.

 

Damian doesn't respond when he pulls away. His head is held high when he moves to his feet, shoulders back, and proud as he goes to meet the fate he has chosen for himself.

 

Kon watches Damian disappear in a sea of shadowy warriors, powerless to stop it from happening. A scream is lodged in his throat. But no matter how he tries, Kon can't make a sound.

  

**Missing**

 

"We'll find him." Tim promises. Promises like he always does when he flies all the way to Smallville to see Kon.

 

It's a line Kon has heard too many times, and he's honestly so damn sick of it that whenever he hears someone say those words, Kon has to bite his tongue bloody to stop himself from screaming.

 

Kon never looks up from his work of fixing Ma's very old, very beat up truck. "It's been three years."

 

It's all he ever says whenever someone brings up  _the search_. Like always Kon hopes it will end the conversation and like always, he knows it won't.

 

"I know," Tim sounds like admitting how much time has passed is physically painful, "But I  _also_ know he's out there."

 

Kon doesn't say a thing. He can never find the words to make his arguments. Kon's heart is simply too heavy, the constant pain so great that it makes thinking, speaking almost impossible. And every time the search comes up empty, the pain becomes more unbearable. Kon knows he won't survive too many more disappointments.

 

He finds every day to be a struggle. Every day begins with an exhausting battle to just get out of bed in the mornings. Going through the simplicity that has become Kon's life feels like a sick kind torture when it feels so much like his heart is missing a vital piece.

 

"Damian never gave up on you." Tim says. He sounds so bitter. "Why are you giving up on him?"

 

Kon growls. The wrench in his hands  _bends_ under his power before he can even think of stopping himself.

 

As was predicted, Kon's anger issues have been so much greater since his little dip in the Pit. He's had to learn all over again how to control his powers, something that felt so impossible during the first months of his new life. He's had to go through agonizing tests under Bruce's steely - resentful - supervision, and the man still treats Kon like he's a walking bomb. A bomb ready to explode at a moment's notice.

 

He doesn't blame Bruce for hating him. Hell, a day doesn't go by that Kon doesn't loathe his own existence.

 

"Don't you dare." Kon hisses. "It took me a _long_ time to accept what happened, Tim. It's taken even longer to not feel like I constantly want to find that fucking shard so I can cut my fucking heart out," Tim winces, and Kon feels a rush of satisfaction, "so don't you dare preach to me about giving up."

 

Tim nods quickly. He looks ashamed and so sad.

 

"I'm living the life he gave me." Kon says, voice hollow. He drops the now useless wrench to the ground and stares at it as he contemplates his words.

 

It's not living, and more like existing. It's all Kon has to offer, however.

 

Damian should have thought about what kind of life he was going to be giving Kon before selling his soul to the devil. His pretty bird really should have known that by saving Kon the way he did meant he was only dooming Kon to a slower, more painful death than before.

  

**Normal**

 

"Pass the popcorn please." Kon says, or tries to say with a mouth full of canned cheese.

 

Damian, who has the desired popcorn bowl held protectively on his lap, looks over and looks utterly disgusted by everything Kon is doing. Kon swallows the obscene amount of processed cheese he has in his mouth, then grins before he leans over so he can smack a wet kiss against Damian's cheek.

 

"You are a disgusting brute." Damian laments as he wipes his cheek with the back of his hand as Kon pulls away.

 

Damian's words, said in that ridiculously conceited way of his, only makes Kon lean in again. Soon enough another wet kiss is pressed against Damian's cheek. This time Damian is prepared and struggles, pushes against Kon when he invades Damian's space, but quickly realizes he misjudged Kon's weight as he and Kon, along with the bowl of popcorn, tilt over.

 

Kon is a laughing mess as he snorts unattractive giggles against Damian's shoulder while Damian pushes valiantly against the man lying on top of him. Damian soon gives up when he realizes there is no way Kon is moving unless he wants to.

 

Damian sighs dramatically, feels a smile tug at the corner of his lips despite himself. He can sense the bliss in the air permeating Kon's small apartment, the absolute giddiness. When Kon rises up a bit to look down at him, elbows pressing down beside his head, Damian finds he is laughing too.

 

Then Kon lowers his head, dips closer, kisses Damian, gently at first, slowly coaxing his lips open. Damian gasps, feels a little lightheaded, a little like he's falling even though he's lying down. He gives himself over to it, arches up into Kon, skin breaking out in goosebumps when Kon's large hand slides underneath Damian's shirt.

 

Spilled popcorn spread over cheap carpeting is ignored for hours.

 

**Ocean**

 

"This is freezing." Damian states simply. He has his arms snaked around Kon's neck, holding on while Kon wades deeper into the calm ocean.

 

"It's fun." Kon insists.

 

Damian decides against arguing his point - Kon, like Damian himself, is stubborn as a mule - and sure while the water  _is_ freezing, being here, with Kon, well there's something beautiful about it.

 

They are completely alone. There isn't a soul on the beach this late in the evening, which gave them the chance to strip down naked and _really_ enjoy themselves. Having sex on the beach was out, too much sand everywhere, so Kon decided a good making-out session in the sea was a decent alternative.

 

The moon hangs above them, its silver light reflects back on rippling water. Underneath the moon's gaze, Kon almost looks like some sort of mythical sea creature, maybe even some kind of god out of mythology.

 

Kon's skin has taken on a silver a sheen, and it's quite embarrassing how gorgeous Damian thinks Kon is; how his very breath always seems to be stripped from his lungs whenever Kon smiles at him.

 

He's falling in love. Damian isn't going to deny it anymore. He has fought tooth and nail without success. Damian has resisted these feelings, but Damian has always known that in this battle between them, Kon has been winning from the very beginning. All Damian can do now is hold on, so tightly, and hope like he has never hoped before that this thing between them won't end as badly as he fears it will.

  

**Possession**

 

There was no way they could win this battle.

 

None of the heroes assembled could hope to win against this enemy, not when he was wearing Damian's face like it was always meant to be his own. Ra's has the advantage, and they all know it. They realized it the moment Batman came up against Ra's, when he stared into Damian's now sinister and poisonous eyes, as he looked upon the son he'd lost twice, which no father should ever have to live through, and found he couldn't bring any more harm to his boy. Terrible surprise from Damian's sudden appearance and a moment's hesitation gave Ra's the golden opportunity he needed to take down the dreaded Bat.

 

Nightwing is unconscious. Red Hood and Red Robin are not too far away from him. Jason is cradling a broken arm against his chest, hissing through his teeth that Ra's is in for a beating, while Tim blinks, swollen lump on his forehead hinting at him having a concussion.

 

Having been stripped of his cowl somewhere in the battle, Bruce is currently lying on the ground. Damian - no, Ra's - is straddling his chest, forearm pressing down on his throat, choking the life out of his great nemesis.

 

Kon knows he needs to step in. He has to save his pretty bird's father, knows it would destroy Damian to know his hands were bringing harm to the man he has never stopped revering, but moving seems like such an impossible thing. Kon has been standing there, horrified and frozen in place, since Ra's pulled off his hood with a dramatic flick of his wrist and Damian stared back at him.

 

In that moment they all learned there was indeed something worse than death.

 

"What have you done?" Bruce chokes on his words. His face is completely red; he's barely getting in enough oxygen to remain conscious.

 

Ra's smiles and looks disgustingly proud when he says, "I haven't done anything." He leans in close, forearm pressing down harder. " _My grandson_ has finally fulfilled the purpose he has had since his birth. The House of al Ghul will be great again. You should be proud, Detective, as I am proud."

 

"I'll kill you." Bruce swears. He sounds like he actually means it.

 

Ra's laughs. A mocking, cruel sound - it haunts them all. "No, you will not. You have never been able to truly avenge any of your children." Ra's shakes his head, still amused by Bruce's declaration. "You are a complete and utter failure in that regard, Detective." When Ra's leans in even closer, Bruce looks away, shivers, repulsed and furious, when Ra's places a mocking kiss on his cheek. "And besides," he whispers, "killing me would of course mean killing Damian. He's still in here, you know. Sometimes I can even feel him, screaming and fighting against the shackles I have placed on his mind." Another laugh. "But he is getting weaker by the day. Soon this body will be mine completely, as it always has been."

 

After patting Bruce's cheek, Ra's rises smoothly. Bruce inhales sharply when the pressure on his throat is gone, the sound of it painful, and quickly succumbs to a series of agonizing coughs.

 

Ra's gives Bruce a curious look. His boot comes down and presses hard against Bruce's chest. Even with the suit's protection, Bruce still bites his lip to stifle a groan. A few ribs have been broken in the earlier scuffle.

 

Kon is still frozen in place and remains so when Damian - no, damn it, Ra's - looks over at him. It's the face that has haunted Kon's dreams and his waking hours for years now. As beautiful as Kon's remembers, even with Ra's expression twisting it into something cruel. Kon feels weak, like his entire body has been covered in kryptonite.

 

"Will you not aid your allies, Superboy?" Ra's asks kindly. He laughs when Kon says nothing. "I thought not." He grins. "I feel obligated to thank you, Kon-El. Without you," he spreads his arms, "none of this would be possible."

And Kon gasps, knows it to be true, knows everything bad happening right now is because of him.

 

In the end, it's Superman who saves them. It's Superman who sweeps in, in a burst of red and blue, and stops Ra's before he can crush Bruce's windpipe beneath the heel of his boot.

 

There is no epic fight between the alien and the Demon's Head, something they'll all grateful for because, oh dear god, it's  _Damian_. Instead Ra's chuckles, his warriors moving in around him, smoke bombs dropping, obscuring everything. The league and its leader disappear easily in the chaos of Superman's rescue.

 

When Damian -  _Ra's_ , goddamn it - is gone, Kon is finally able to move. He Falls to his knees, feeling numb, tired, and like he's seconds away from screaming.

 

He's lost everything all over again.

  

**Quick**

 

They have to be quick and quiet.

 

Kon pushes up into Damian, eager to feel his lover's natural warmth around his cock. He moans against his lover's jaw, sees stars popping at the edges of his vision as Damian clenches around him. Damian throws his head back, knocking it hard against the wall behind him, but unable to care as he struggles to breathe around the gasp stuck in his throat.

 

He has Damian up against a wall. Those gorgeous legs are wrapped around his waist - his pants have been stripped away and discarded to the side. Damian's hands are up, pressed against the low ceiling, as Kon fucks him. It's so deep, so slow, so good.

 

Whimpering and mewling, Damian tries valiantly to swallow every scream crawling up his throat.

 

People are moving about outside the closet Kon and Damian are in. Talking and laughing; ignorant of what's happening a few feet away from them. They could hear them if Damian allowed himself to be as loud as he wants to be. Intrigued, people would come looking, see one of the Wayne heirs being loved, in every way possible, by his lover.

 

What a scandal it would be, Kon thinks. He wonders if he would even be able to stop should someone come in, and soon knows he wouldn't. The thought of him fucking Damian while someone watches, scandalized and jealous, has Kon pushing back into Damian with a particularly brutal thrust.

 

Damian's eyes snap open and he screams, or he almost screams. He bites his tongue in time, draws blood, swallows them back down. Kon presses lips against Damian's, loves the bloody taste. He licks at Damian's mouth, wants more, draws sweet gasps of Damian's breath out with his tongue.

 

They have to be quiet.

  

**Ring**

 

"Do you think he'll like it?" Kon asks.

 

He's so nervous; has been shaking since he paid for it. He has agonized over how he would do it - how he would propose to someone who scoffs at romantic gestures and yet craves them at the same time.

 

Tim moves the velvet box around in his hands. He pops the box open, finds himself smiling down at the ring almost immediately. It's black titanium - hard and strong, yet still beautiful. It's a perfect representation of Damian.

 

"He'll love it." Tim replies honestly. He hands it back to Kon, sees that the grin on Kon's face is so relieved and happy. Tim wonders to himself when exactly Kon fell so deeply.

  

**Salvation**

 

Zatanna said their only solution was some kind of ancient exorcism.

 

"Makes sense," Jason said while Kon's mind spun with the implications of it all, "he is currently possessed by the devil himself."

 

No one argued that point.

 

Luring Ra's into a trap he could not simply escape was to be the hardest part. As the one who came up with most of the plan, Tim happily used himself as bait. Even now Ra's was obsessed with Tim. Finally having control of Damian meant Ra's experienced a renewed desire to make Tim his. He undoubtedly envisioned making Tim some kind of new protégé, even a consort maybe, while he ruled a newly dominated world.

 

Tim was also the one to call in much-needed help from a few other members of the Justice League. When Tim called, no one resisted. It was Batman's son being used like some fancy new costume, and everyone would enjoy bringing Ra's down a couple notches.

 

When Tim came calling, Ra's happily agreed to his obsession's request for a meeting.

 

Of course Ra's came prepared, would have been disappointed if Tim didn't try  _something_ , but even with a collection of highly trained men and women, they were no match against the likes of Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern, The Flash, Superman, and, of course, Batman and his family. There was no way Ra's could stand up against them all, alone, without outside aid, but they all knew the Demon's Head could not be held trapped for very long. They needed to work quickly.

 

While J'onn and Hal kept Ra's in a prison of their own making, one which was both physical and mental, and while the others made short work of Ra's miniature army, Zatanna went to work chanting her spell. The exorcism's words echoed, strong and powerful, in the dark walls of a cold and creepy cavern.

 

Zatanna's spell wasn't the only the only thing Kon could hear. Drowning out her chanting was Damian's agonized screaming as Ra's soul was slowly ripped away from his own. Zatanna warned them the process would be painful - Damian had been his grandfather's vessel for years, and there would be consequences to undoing Ra's work. There was, she said, a strong possibility of permanently damaging Damian's mind.

 

It was a risk they all felt they had to take.

 

Kon sighs heavily. He rubs his hands over his face, and tries valiantly to push the memory of the last couple of days out of his mind. He focuses instead on the steady beeping of Damian's heart monitor.

 

They won, and that is all that really matters.

 

Damian's body is his own again, or so Zatanna assured before she collapsed. The spell exhausted her, and she has been recovering in a room somewhere down the hall. Kon will need to thank her soon.

 

The soul of Ra's al Ghul is being kept somewhere safe. Few people know of the soul's actual location, and Kon isn't one of those people. He didn't want to know, was too afraid he would do something stupid like try and destroy it. He is happy knowing the Demon's Head will not be a threat to anyone - Damian - again.

 

Well, Kon thinks, Ra's will not be a danger to anyone any time soon. Kon isn't going to kid himself, though. No one that powerful will ever be gone for long. But he will be gone long enough for Kon to prepare; to make sure he's ready for the old bastard when Ra's comes back for his vengeance.

 

"You should get some sleep." Tim says, voice gentle when he walks into the room.

 

Kon looks up as the automated door to Damian's private hospital room slides shut behind Tim. His friend looks happier than he has in years. He looks refreshed, like an impossibly great weight has been lifted from his shoulders.

 

Everyone expected Dick to take Damian's disappearance the hardest. While Dick was indeed devastated, it was really Tim who seemed to be the most affected by the youngest Robin's absence.

 

"I vowed I wouldn't let anything happen to him when you died." Tim revealed to Kon once. They were both drunk and heartbroken; melancholy weighing heavy upon them. "And I failed. I won't stop until Damian's back," Tim vowed, blue eyes shining with tears, "I promise."

 

And now Damian is back, and Kon has no idea what that means. They will have to wait until Damian wakes up again to know how badly damaged his soul is.

 

Kon will be here. He'll be here every step of the way, Kon swears as he folds his hand over Damian's own. He will make sure his pretty bird finds his wings, and learns how to fly again.

  

**Talk**

 

It's taken a long time to get used to Damian's stony silences.

 

It's taken a long time to learn when Damian really wanted to be left in peace, and when he wanted to be coaxed out of his shell.

 

It's taken a long time to recognize the clues when Damian needs someone to tell him it's okay if he lets his emotions run wild.

 

It's taken a long time and the process was sometimes agonizing, but Kon knows it's worth it.

  

**Ugly**

 

Damian knows he's considered by many to be an attractive man. It's natural; expected even. His parents are both good looking people, and he has inherited at least a few aspects of their physical beauty.

 

Too bad it's not his physical appearance Damian is concerned with. Instead he is bothered by the soul lurking within his physical form - the forever tainted, hideous  _thing_ Damian has not been able to cleanse despite years of trying.

 

The infection in his blood that is al Ghul cannot be cured. It cannot be taken away from, no matter how much he wishes. He is doomed to be his mother's hideously perfect monster for as long as he draws breath.

 

"What are you thinking about, pretty bird?" Kon mumbles, mouth full of toothpaste.

 

Damian snaps out of his thoughts with a startled jerk he hopes Kon didn't notice. He looks at Kon's reflection in the mirror, wonders how long it will take Kon to realize what Damian already knows. He'll deny the inevitable for as long as possible, but Damian isn't deluded - Kon isn't here to stay.

 

"Nothing." Damian replies. He reaches for his own toothbrush.

 

 _Pretty bird_ is Kon's way of showing affection towards him, and it even seems like he believes his own words. Kon thinks he's beautiful; worth something. Damian sighs, marvels at how anyone can be so blind.

  

**Vows**  


A promise is easy to make, Kon thinks as he slips the ring onto Damian's finger. They're infinitely harder to keep, and no one knows this better than Kon. But the proof of love does not come with the fact that he and Damian are willing to say the words, make the vow, in front of family and friends. No, it comes with trying to keep that promise even when it feels impossible.

 

Kon knows they might not succeed. Most people don't get a second chance, and here Kon stands, already on his fourth. Anything could happen. Their luck is bound to run out one day. Kon will keep trying, though, until the day he is no longer physically able.

  

**Warning**

 

"Here's the situation." Jason says, looks menacing from where he's standing. He looks ready to go to war when he's in his Red Hood gear. Only the stupid helmet is missing. "You're fucking our little brother."

 

Kon nods as he blinks up at the swinging light. The whole interrogation theme the three former Robins have going on is a little cliché, Kon thinks.

 

Standing beside Jason, Dick frowns. "Did you  _have_ to say it like that?"

 

"Oh, come on, Dickiebird," Jason rolls his eyes, "you know they're fucking. You've even  _seen_ it."

 

The annoyed look on Dick's face twists into something uncomfortable as he recalls walking in on his youngest brother getting well and truly fucked by a very well endowed clone of a man he used to have a very big crush on while he was growing up.

 

It's hilarious when Dick can barely meet Kon's eyes. He rubs at the back of his head, coughs in a terribly awkward way and can't bring himself to say anything else.

 

Tim, who is standing on Jason's other side, has a very pinched look on his face. His arms are wrapped tightly over his chest, and Kon knows what it means in this instance. Tim is not impressed Kon has decided to turn his lecherous attentions to the youngest of their brood. He hasn't been vocal about it - seems he was saving his ranting until he had backup.

 

"I'm gonna be honest here," Jason is clearly the one in charge of this absurd little interrogation, "I always thought you and Timmy would end up knocking boots."

 

"What!?" Tim squeaks. A blush is already on his cheeks - a new record.

 

Kon blinks in surprise. Tim and him? Sure, Tim is  _very_ pretty. He is exactly what Kon looks for in dudes, may even be the original everyone else has to live up to, and yeah, there was a time Kon wondered what it would be like to fuck him. Tim is also Kon's best friend, though, and he's never been willing to see how something sexual could mess up the most important friendship he has.

 

"You have to admit, little brother," Dick says, "you two are, uh, very close."

 

"Because he's my best friend!" Tim cries. His cheeks are cherry red now. "Of course we're close!"

 

"If you say so, but most normal people don't try to clone their best friend after said best friend kicks the bucket." Jason smirks, looks giddy at having the opportunity to tease Tim. Kon would feel bad, but he's glad the attention is off of him.

 

"And most people don't keep a sweet memento, a photo of their best friend, on their nightstand." Dick adds, and has Jason nodding happily.

 

"This is ridiculous, and we're forgetting why we're here." Tim snaps. So flustered, Tim misses the shared grin between Jason and Dick. "We're here because Kon and Damian are... are..." Tim shakes his head; shudders theatrically. "I can't even say it."

"Fucking?" Kon asks in his best  _I'm being helpful_ voice.

 

He probably shouldn't have - as soon as he's said it, three overprotective brothers once again turn to glare at him.

 

"Alright," Jason starts again, "here's the deal, clone boy." Kon frowns at the name. "We," Jason waves his hand between them, "are not gonna tell you to not sleep with our little brother. If we do, Damian will go out of his way to, well, fuck you."

 

Kon really doesn't see much of a downside to that.

 

"We are, however, going to tell you to be careful." Dick looks worried now; like the mother hen Tim always claims he is.

 

"Damian has issues that are a mountain high." Tim explains. Kon silently wonders if this is the pot and kettle moment of the day. "And you're not always the most stable person yourself."

 

"Hey." Kon's really offended now.

 

"Just be careful, alright?" Dick asks. "If you're only in this for some meaningless fun then walk away now."

 

Kon quietly muddles over Dick's words. He has absolutely no idea where this somewhat strange relationship is going, or even what he really feels for the youngest Robin. What he does know is that beyond the fantastic sex they're having on a regular basis, Damian is surprisingly fun be with.

 

The idea of ending things makes his heart ache in a way he didn't expect. He realizes, at that moment, that he would really like to see if this could actually be something genuine. Something Kon hasn't had since he and Cassie broke up all those years ago.

 

Hoping he looks sincere, Kon finally says: "I'm not."

  

**X-Ray**

 

"Stop fretting." Damian demands. He leans back in his many pillows, holds back a wince.

 

"You broke your arm." Kon keeps pacing. "Fractured three ribs, dislocated your hip  _and_ sprained your ankle." Kon shakes his head. "Alfred says your x-rays look like you've come out of a warzone."

 

"I've had worse." Damian replies with a casual shrug.

 

Pain flickers across Kon's face as he's once again reminded that Damian is, at the end of the day, still a normal human being. "I know. I just... I don't like seeing you hurt."

 

"I do not particularly enjoy it either."

 

"Damian." Kon sighs.

 

"Stop worrying." Damian reaches out with the arm that isn't broken. "Come here."

 

"What? Want me to kiss it better?" Kon asks with a strained smile.

 

"Tt."

 

Kon doesn't move.

 

Damian rolls his eyes. "That wasn't a  _no_."

 

Grinning, Kon does as he's told.

 

**Yes**

 

 _I found this while clearing out our room_ , the note reads in Damian's elegant scrawl.

 

The note is attached to a small black box Kon has been hiding away for years now. His heart kicks hard in his chest as he looks down at the box he honestly forgot about.

 

He never meant for Damian to find out this way. He had a plan, but with Damian's long recovery being their priority now, there never seems to be a right time to pop the question.

 

Kon sighs, feeling like an ass. He wonders if Damian will want to know how long he's wanted to propose. Almost ten years, and god if that isn't something of a shock to the system.

 

Flipping the note over, Kon blinks when he sees that there's more.

 

_You may ask me tonight. You need not worry - my answer will be favorable._

 

Kon laughs, and feels like he's falling in love all over again.

  

**Zero**

 

Kon starts the car the moment he sees Damian hurry out of the building.

 

It's raining - heavy drops beat down heavy on the roof of his car. People are running for any kind of shelter, and even the ones who have umbrellas with them seem hesitant to take on the wind and rain.

 

Damian doesn't take long to reach the car. He flings the door open the door and wastes no time climbing in. The storm is suddenly so much louder, but quickly becomes dulled again when Damian slams the door shut.

 

"Hey." Kon greets with a smiles.

 

Damian looks up at him and with his hoodie still up and almost completely soaked through, he looks so very adorable. Damian blinks owlishly as a few raindrops of slide down his cheek.

 

"Hey." Damian replies eventually. There's no hesitation as he leans over to brush corner of Kon's mouth. A welcome surprise, Kon thinks, when Damian pulls away, relaxes in his own seat and pulls his seatbelt on while Kon pulls away from the curb and onto the street.

 

"How'd it go?" Kon asks.

 

"Well." Damian pulls his knees up so he can wrap his arms around them. Damian has kicked off his soaked socks and sneakers, and now digs his toes into the upholstery. "Or so Black Canary claims."

 

Kon laughs. "You always gonna call her Black Canary?"

 

"What else should I call her?"

 

"I dunno? Dinah?"

 

"Tt." Damian turns his head away so he can stare out his window. There's nothing to see except rain splattering against glass. "Don't be ridiculous."

 

Kon simply shakes his head. At least some things haven't changed completely.

 

Damian was - is - more damaged than Kon hoped he would be. Even with Zatanna's warning, Kon still wasn't as prepared as he should have been.

 

For months Damian was more like a walking corpse than an actual person. Damian would go out of his way not to be touched, by anyone, and long, eerie silences were all anyone could get out of him. Sometimes it even felt like Damian wasn't really there - like he'd been replaced by a hollow imitation.

 

Then came the times Damian would revert back into the angry person he'd been as a child. The intensity of his anger made Kon's own Pit Madness seem tame in comparison. Of course Tim tells him he just doesn't really remember how bad he'd been, but Kon isn't so sure.

 

There was a time things only seemed to get worse and during the darkest moments Kon despaired, so certain his pretty bird would never truly come back to him.

 

But that was then and this is now, and Kon is finally able to see the progress Damian has made. The steps are small, but they're being taken. Damian is slowly healing from the torment he suffered while with Ra's - agony inflicted upon him before and after Ra's took control of his body.

 

Damian will sometimes mention a ritual of purification before going silent again. While he's never gone into detail, not with Kon anyway, the haunted look in his eyes is all Kon needs to know. Sometimes Kon wishes he could find out where Ra's soul is being held so he can destroy the bastard for everything he's done to his own flesh and blood.

 

"I wanted to thank you." Damian breaks the silence; pulls Kon away from his dark thoughts.

 

"For?" Kon asks, sounding as cheerful as possible.

 

"You did not leave me." Damian turns his head to look at Kon again. His green eyes are warm with affection. "I would not have blamed you."

 

Reaching over with one hand, Kon squeezes Damian's hand in his own. "I will never willingly leave you, pretty bird." Kon promises. "It's you and me against the world."

 

Damian snorts at Kon and his cheesy declaration, but it doesn't stop him from moving closer and leaning his head on Kon's shoulder. They spend the rest of the drive home in a comfortable silence that only comes with knowing they love and are loved in return.


End file.
